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Elsa
The large ship was docked at the very end of the dock. Anna and I, as well as a reception party of various men and women of the court, ushered ourselves down the wood planked path. The sound of skirts swishing and heels clinking was all that filled the air. Arendell was quiet this morning. All the citizens had the same idea to keep a low profile in attempt to recover from the all-night celebration the evening before. Looking over at Anna, dark circles were beneath her eyes and she would occasionally fight off yawns.
"Late night, sis?" I whispered towards her ear.
A flush colored the skin around her many freckles, "Umm, well yeah… with the party. I mean we were so busy all night and…" But she stopped talking and just smiled when she saw my one raised eyebrow. It was a signature look I had that basically said 'I know everything'. It was true that last night her and Kristoff had been pulled in a million different ways, but I did notice how when the night came to a close, they snuck off together. I didn't know what they had been up to, but I can guess not much sleep took place.
Anna rolled her big blue eyes at me. In the process however, her narrow heel caught in a gap between two boards. Her emerald and gold dress tripped her even further as her limbs flailed about trying to steady herself. I had to reach out a grab onto her forearms to steady her and prevent her from completely falling off the pier.
"I really can't take you anywhere," I laughed.
"You know, I think I really shouldn't be allowed to leave the castle anymore. The world really hates me," she smiled smoothing out her gown.
"Well, maybe after today that will be a possibility," I smiled as we continued on our way. My own light blue gown swirled around me and came to a rest as we made it to the ramp of the ship. The dress I wore today was slightly more modest then my usual wear. Powder blue material replaced the sheer lace sleeves and covered more of my chest and shoulders. The skirt was fuller with no gaps in the material. The only touches of icy patterns were across my chest, waist, and around my feet as well as an elegant train.
My hair, loose around my shoulders, was gently tossed by the wind as I caught sight of my guests. "Welcome home, Ambassador Nikolas."
Around me, Anna and the rest of my followers bowed and curtsied. The round man with slightly receding auburn hair marched straight up to me. "Why so formal, my queen?" He asked with a jolly grin. The man was the same age as my father and helped to fill in his place, if only by just a little. He was a good man, like the uncle I'd never known.
"It is very good to see you again, Nikolas." I allowed myself to fully smile back at him.
"You too, Elsa. I have brought with me a guest." He gestured behind him and a younger man stepped forward. He had a sharp handsome face, with longer brown hair smoothed back to reveal a widow's peak. Broad shoulders narrowed into a tall body with long legs. "May I introduce you to the Noblesse de Robe, Antoine Salois."
He stepped closer to me at the sound of his introduction. He bowed formally before reaching for my hand. "Your majesty, your beauty precedes you," He said in a thick French accent before attempting to kiss my hand. His touch however, was an unwanted one. My powers triggered causing my skin to turn icy and a gust of wind to make him stumble back.
"My apologies, the ice tends to have a mind of its own some days. Welcome to Arendell," I greeted him once boundaries had been settled.
"Yes, well the pleasure is mine all the same," he replied, trying to reclaim his charisma.
"Antoine is a promising figure in our trade commissions with France as well as the son of an old friend." Nikolas gripped his shoulder tightly as he continued to grin at me. My old friend seemed almost too excited to be introducing the Noblesse de Robe to me.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. There will be time to speak about business later but tonight it is time to celebrate your return." I began by addressing the French man directly but turned to Nikolas in the end. His eyes twinkled as he offered me his arm. I took it happily and we began to travel towards the castle once again. We took the lead on the warm spring day. Walking the streets back was so much more enjoyable with a good friend.
"So, Elsa, what is your first impression of Antoine?" Nikolas whispered down into my ear. I peaked back through our close together shoulders to see the dignitary walking next to Anna. She rambled some story, willing to talk to anyone as always. I had to fight back a laugh at the sight of his noble face trying to pay attention.
Needless to say, I had to fight a burst of laughter, "I sure hope you aren't playing matchmaker Nikki."
"Would I ever do such a thing?" he looked down at me, the grin plastered on his face ruining his secret. "I just thought as a woman such as you, a gentleman present in your life may be a welcomed change."
I rolled my eyes mildly, "I'm fine as is, plus who needs a gentleman when I've got you Nikki."
"What exactly are you implying little princess?" We both laughed together. Besides Anna, and maybe even Eleanor, he was all the family I had left. Having him safe and back home from his trips to France made me feel so much lighter, like all my anxiety was washed away. At least for now it was.
Serephina
The land around the bustling kingdom of Arendell was beautiful. Rugged mountains shifted the land covered in thick forests of coniferous trees. I lead Epona forward through the thawing land. Her legs were caked with mud up to the knee. She was tired. I could tell. My brilliant horse was the same age as me, 22. But for her, that age made her much older than myself. "Well find a place to stop soon. I promise."
Her only response was a tired whinny , but it was enough to understand. "I'll go wherever you go."
Luckily, we really didn't have to travel that much farther. Not too far up the trail a low wood building sat among the brush. "Rest easy, babe." I patted her before stepping closer. A matching wood sign hung loosely on the roof of a narrow porch. Wandering Oaken's Trading Post was carved in an uneven font. A separate building sat a couple yards away. The stables looked much better than the barn from the night before. "That'll do… let's just hope the owners are a bit kinder than the last we encountered."
A bell rang when I pushed through the front door. The shop was nearly barren. Shelves stood idle throughout the rectangular space. Nearly everything they had looked very picked over. Random odds and ends were all that was left after what must have been a whirlwind of sales. I wandered through the aisles and peered at labels and prices. Jars of canned food, folded sets of clothes meant for the outdoors, and various simple tools caught my eye. One jar full of entire fish bobbing in a yellow liquid had my disgusted focus when a voice started behind me.
"Yoo-hoo! Welcome! How can I help you?" When I spun around I was surprised to find the source of the voice was a large man with thick orange hair and an enormous grin.
"Uh, hi," I tried my hardest to keep my face hidden, "I was actually wondering if you had any room for a traveler to stay? I will only be around for one or two days."
"Sure dear. The outside stables have additional quarters. Why do you hide your face though?" I had no answer for him. In the time it took for me to try and muster one, a door leading to another part of the store swung open.
"Oaken, are you coming back soon? What is it my little lutefisk?" Another man entered the room. He was even taller and broader than the owner I was speaking to. His eyes widened beneath light colored bangs. The other man shifted uncomfortably next to me.
It took me just a second before the situation dawned on me. I flipped my hood down and smiled at Oaken and his partner, letting my dark skin show. Our eyes bounced back and forth with understanding, knowing well how the other felt living their life outside the norm. "So, how much do you want for the room?"
It didn't take long for me to get settled inside the stables. Well, it's not like I had much to 'settle' anyway. I dropped my bag down onto the small quilt-covered, pine bed. The already small room was half used for storage. Boxes were stacked everywhere, most filled with winter goods no longer needed by the approaching spring. Still, it was warm, and I had enough room to sleep. Only a door separated me from Epona who rested comfortably in the adjacent stables.
Dropping off what I had and patting Epona good-bye, content by how she was safe from the outside, I headed off on my own. Alexander, Oaken's significant other, waved as he chopped wood in front of the trading post. Once we were properly introduced, I learned that Oaken's sister and her two sons and daughter also lived in the post. Very kind people, and I was very grateful to them for opening their home to me.
I waved back as I continued back up the path I came from, ready to return to the trees and search for some trouble.
Elsa
A five piece orchestra sat in the corner producing music that drifted between the walls and guests of the ballroom. All around skirts swirled and shoes clicked with each step. Women wore their hair up in elaborate styles and plastered on bright shades of pink and white powders. The men each wore perfectly tailored suits to match the gowns of their companions. I stood at the front of the room, watching the performance before me. My favorite pair to watch by far was my sister and Kristoff.
He looked terrified, happy, but terrified. With how clumsy Anna was, her dancing was a dangerous business. He was constantly ducking from her elbows and hands as they tended to sail through the air. I grinned and chuckled to myself and at one point Kristoff sent me a look that said 'help me please'.
"Excuse me, Madame." Arendell's latest visitor came by my side.
"Hello Antoine, I hope you are enjoying yourself," I greeted him.
"Yes, the party is wonderful, but it would be so much better if you would share a dance with me." He glanced over at me with a sly grin.
I rolled my eyes subtly, "Forgive me, but I don't dance."
"Perhaps we can change that." Before I could even respond, his arm tugged on my waist, and his hand slipped into mine. I was forced onto the dance floor where he spun me out before pulling me close into a waltz.
"My, my you have some confidence don't you, Antoine Salois?" I spoke lowly into his ear. His hand rested low on the back of the lighter blue dress I changed into earlier, one covered in crystals of my own creation and with a longer, fuller train. The bodice was not nearly as modest either, the perfect dress for a party.
He looked down at me with the one corner of his mouth pulled higher than the other, "Perhaps, perhaps not ice queen. Maybe this is the most nervous as I have ever been. Your beauty and strength are so… intriguing. I would very much like to know more, Elsa."
I could feel my face blush as he lead me around the dance floor. His forwardness shocked me; no one had ever shown that sort of interest in me before. But, in his grip, I couldn't find comfort. I felt a wave of relief when the waltz reached its end, and I broke his hold. "I am flattered, but if you would excuse me, I think I need a breath of fresh air."
Making sure that my rush out of the ballroom looked casual enough so that no one would notice, I hurried down the closest hallway. The music left behind, I hurried to the very end and swung a left. Glass doors loomed at the end of the shorter corridor I just turned down. They lead out to the gardens behind the castle, a private exit that few knew about. The gold, curled handle collapsed under my force, and I was out in the night air. A nearly perfect half moon lit up all the shades of the navy sky that were created by the swirling clouds.
The tiled path took me to a circular pavilion cut in the center of a groove of delicate trees. I sat heavily on one of the concrete benches that sat around the outside. I stared at my hands. Bared, crystals and lace covered the tops of them. My palms scared me though. They had begun to shimmer blue with soft sparks bouncing off. Physical contact was still so difficult for me, and tonight, Antoine had really shocked me.
"Relax, I'm okay… I'm okay."
"Well, that's good to know," I looked around to see who had followed me out, but I found that the feminine voice belong to someone seated on another bench, partially cloaked by shadows.
"Who's there?" I called out.
The body belonging to the voice stood and stepped forward into the light. "My apologies for startling you tonight."
"Serephina," any fear I had quickly changed to joy for seeing the mysterious woman I had so much in common with.
"You remembered my name. I will not lie, I am surprised. Good evening, your highness." She bowed with a smile across her dark face. "Some party you're throwing, huh?"
"Yes, a welcoming home of an old friend. It's very nice."
"Nice?" She paced in front of me slowly moving closer, "You don't seem so sure."
I gasped at her challenge and began to turn away, "Please, I didn't mean to insult you. It's not a bad thing to feel out of your element in a room full of people you don't know."
"For the queen it is," I whispered hoping she couldn't hear, but she did anyway.
Serephina shook her head, making the beads in her hair jingle, "Not always. Ever think that you expect too much from yourself, my lady. Nobody can be perfect."
"Why am I even talking to you about this? How would you even know anything about this?" I snapped at her.
Her face became emotionless, and she bowed once more, "Forgive me, I will leave you to your evening."
"Wait," I reached out to her as she turned to leave, "I'm sorry, I've just become very confused lately."
"I understand, but I must be leaving soon all the same, Queen Elsa."
"Will I see you again? Tomorrow maybe?"
She had been walking to the opposite edge of the pavilion when she looked back over her shoulder, "Maybe, wait for me here. If I can, I'll find you in the morning. Go have fun and rest easy. You look beautiful tonight, let everyone know you feel it too." She smiled again at me. A familiar feeling of butterflies in my stomach warmed me as I reentered the ballroom. There was just something about her.